Steam-heating apparatus.



J'. A. DONNELLY.

STEAM HEATING APPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 12, 1906.

9745245, A A Patented Nov. 1, 1910.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

m m 1a z I: /4 E m c w /2 filo wmm 26 v v J. A. DONNELLY. STEAM HEATING APPARATUS. APPLICATION I'IL'ED MAY 12. 1906.

974,245. Patented N0v.,1,1910.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

JAMES A. DDNNELLY,-OF BROOKLYN, NEW YORK.

STEAM-HEATING APPARATUS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Nov. 1, 1910.

Application filed May 12, 1906. Serial No. 316,427.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JAMEs A. DONNELLY, a citizen ,of the United-States, and a resident of Brooklyn, in the county of Kings and State of New York, have invented cer-,

tain new and useful Improvements in Steam-Heating. Apparatus, of which the following is a'specification.

, My invention relates to fluid circulating or distributing systems such as steam heating systems; and it has for its object to provide a more perfect control and circulation of the circulating medium.

In systems foicirculating steam asheretofore constructed, it has been theusual practice to use appliances which serve to pass the air and the water of condensation, but hold back the steam. In the system forming the subject of the present invent-ion, it is my object to elfect the removal ofthe air and the water of condensation by controlling the pressure at which the steam "cir-. culates through the various parts of the system. i. attain this object by the arrangement and devices set forth in the specifica- 'tion and claims and illustrated in the accompanying drawings in which Figure 1 is a diagrammatic view illustrating my invention as applied to a steam heating system. Fig. 2'is a sectional view of one form of trap or valve for the outlets of the radiating devices. Fig. 3 is a sectional View of one ,form. of yielding restricting means. Fig. 4 is a view of a portion of an installation showing a radiator, pipe connections and valves, the latter being in section.

Similar characters of reference designate correseponding parts throughout the several views. l

In the drawings, Figs. 1 and 4:, I have illustrated my invention as applied to a steam heating system. 10. indicates the steam supply main taken from the exhaust of an engine or other device; or as live steam from a boiler or the like. 9 11 is the return main leading into the vacuum pump 12; or, in the case of live steam furnished to the steam main 10, if desired into a hot well, feed water heater or simply exhausting into the atmosphere, The returnmain is used where it is desirable to bring back the wateriof condensation; and when it isnot desirable to (it this, the said return main may be dispensed with, and in some cases also the branch returns 18 with their valves means 19, as the valve device shown in I 19. 13 are the branch supply pipes conl nected with the supply main 10 and feed, l" through ordinary inlet valves 30, heating) groups 151, which latter comprise a number 30 of radiators 15 provided with, the usual inlet valves 16. At the outlet of each of said radiators is a steam trap, automatic valve,

or the like, or a valve such as a weighted yielding valve device 17, shown in detail in 155 Fig.2 and hereinafter more fully described.

18 are the branch return pipes connecting i the heating groups 14 to the return main ll. H Into each of these branch return pipes 18 there may be inserted a safety valve, check yo valve, or yielding retarding or restrict ng j 3. The said valve device 19 comprises s; sentially a valve body 20 forming a casing; a valve piece 21 seated upon the valve seat. 22 and suitably weighted with Weights 23; a valve passage 24 adapted to be auto1natically sealed or opened by said valve piece" 21; and an inlet 25 and outlet 26 to said valve body 20.

I prefer to make the valve device or trap 17 somewhat similar to the valve device 19,"

but hinge the valve piecev 21 to a separate inc-losing casing 27 within the valve body, the said valve piece projecting through the' opening orvalve passage 24 therein. I may of course substitute one form of valve device for the other; but prefer to use the form i of valve shown in Fig. 2 at the outlet of the radiating devices 15, and the form shownin 90.

Fig. 3 in the branch returns 18. Thevalves are in effect weighted check valves acting as pressure reducing valves. I make the valve piece '21 by preference conical, as showri and 1 projecting into said valve passage 24 sothat 9 as the valve .piece 21 moves inwardly or outwardly the actual area of passage is correspondingly varied-an increased area of opening. being offered with increasing dife ferences of pressure between the two sides. v of said valve piece, and vice versa.- I may provide the said'valve piece with an .impact surface 28 to aid in-the removal of condensed water. I may also provide the valve with a slight leakage opening 2 1 (Fig; 3) 5 to more quickly permit of the removah of the air in starting and to allow the water to I drain out when the system is shut down.

The operation of my system is as follows: Let it be assumed that steam is supplied to 9 the radiating deviceslf) through the supply main 10 and branch supply pipes 13 and inlet valves 30 at atmospheric pressure; and that a vacuum of inches of mercury, that is, a pressure of 10 pounds absolute, is maintained in the return main 11 by a suitable vacuum pump 12'. There is thus a difference in pressure of 5'pounds between the steam supply and return. The valves 17 at the outlets of the radiating devices are -so weighted as to open only when there exists a difference of pressure of 1 pound between their inlet and outlet sides. A vacuum of 2 inches of mercury, that is, 1 1 pounds absolute, must therefore exist in the part beyond the outlets before the said valves can open. These 'br'anch returns 18 are provided with valves 19 but .whlchare set to open only under a dili'erence of pressure of in pounds, A pressure of 14- pounds absoilute musttherefore exist in the part of the be thus n'iaintained between the inlet and outlet sides of the valves 1'7 and 15) serving thereby to determine the maximum flow to the returns. The proper size of the return and of the vacuum pump may therefore be readily calculated, the maximum flow into the said return being known. Should the pressure in the portion of the branch returns up to the valves 19 become lower than M pounds absolute because of the turning oif of most of the radiating devices of a heating group, the valve 19 will remain closed holding back the pressure until it again rises to 14 pounds absolute. Although I for the' sake of explanation, it has been assumed that a pressure of 15 pounds abso-' lute exists throughout the supply, and 10 pounds absolute throughout the return, yet in practice these pressures will not actually exist or be maintained exactly as set forth;

For example, the supply pressure at a group at the farther end of the system will be less than at a group nearer the initial supply, and likewise there will be less vacuum at a point at the farther end of the systcm than at a group near the vacuum pump. Because of this the valves 1!) may be differently Weighted to allow for the different conditions; the valve 17, however, being usually weighted the same throughout. The vacuum'pump, when employed. is designed to handle the maximum quantity of water and air which could possibly be present in the return; and the only elt'ect of shutting oil a number of groups is to cause fluid to be drawn faster through the active 1 pups.-

Owing to the construction of these alvcs with a yielding piece, the condensed water is. readily discharged; and itthey do not open because of insulticient dill erence of steam pressure, they will nevertheless open due to the head of the condensed watcrthe opening increasing with increased head or difference of pressureand vice versa. The impact surface 28 also serves to incrcase the opening when the valve is discharging the condensed water. These weighted yielding valve piecesreadily adapt themselves to the varying conditions of pressure existing in the system, control the llow and all'ord a convenient and perfect means of drainage for the water of condensation. '.\lso, they may be so proportionwl to each other and to the pressure of the steam, thal a positive )l'( ltil.tlllllllctl and proportionate llow is cstablishcd and maintained from each radiating device through the return.

1. In a steam heating system: a steam supply main and a return main; a plurality of heat distributing systems in communication therewith, and each comprising one or more rai'liating devices; branch supply pipes to and branch rclurn pipes from said hcatdistributing systems; and \vog luod mcans at the outlet of each of said radiating dcviccs as well as in the branch returns, adjusted to permit a predetermined, proportionate How of steam from each of said radiating devices as well as from each heat distributing system.

2. In a steam heating system: a steam supply main and a return-main; a plurality of heat distributing systems in eonnnunication therewith, and each comprising one or more radiating devices; branch supply pipes to and branch return pipes from said heat distributing systems; and. weighted mcaus at the outlet of each elf-said radiating devices as well as in each of said branch r turns, adjustei'l to permit a prodctcrminod, pro ortionate How of steam from each of said radiating devices as well as from each heat distrilmling system, and in quantities at least. sullicient to ell'ecl; the removal ol he air and the water of condensation from the radiating devices.

3. in a steam heating system: a steam supply main and a return main; a plurality of heat distributing systems in connnunication theri-iwitll, and each comprising one or more radiating devices; branch supply pipes to and branch return pipes from said heat distributing systems; and weighted auto matic valves at the outlet of each of aid radiating devices as well as in cach of said branch returns, adjusted to permit a prcdntermined, proportionate flow of steam from ill] lill) emzfuquantities at least: sufficient ftq .efiect the re moval fthe 'air and the water" of con'densation fro'mthfe radiatingfgievi'cesp -to' and branch retlirlifpipe's-flfrom said-heat jdist]?flouting systems 1 and weighted auto -matic Valves at the outlet of'each of'said ra-.

dieting devices and Weighted checkvalvesin each of said branch returns, fsziidj alyes "bei ng edjlisteditoipermit a predetermined, v

1 Tevv York andISt-ate of New-York this 40' said radiating devices as art =-im each" heat distributing-system; in quantities 20 at lezt stsqfiicient" to effect the -i-m0va1bf the air gind the wate'n iof condensation from the radiating devices, j

5.' Inja gteam' heating system-i asteam quantities at least s'uificient to efiectthe retion therewith; zind each comprising .one 91 more radietingdeyices; branch supply pipesfto and branch return. pipes from, said heat :gi i'stributing systems; and eightedicheck valves; bit the outlet of each of saidfradi} ,at-ing, devices as Well asf in each of said.

branch returns adjiistetl to permita'prede l, termjned,'fplfbportibnate flgw of steem-frbm i each of'sziidradiating-'devicesl'as 'We11 -as"" from each heat distributing system, and in mov'aLof the air and-the water ofeondensation from the radiating. devices..

Signed at New'York, in the county of- 11th dayofi May;

I v JAMES A. DONNELLYQ Witnesses:

FREDK. F. 'SGHUET SAL 'O. Y:UDIZK.H

-.s'ulp1y mail i flpde netufn nnai'n; a p'lura-i'lliy' of heat distrlbutlng' systems in communica- 25 

